Whilst my sketching mojo has made a small comeback this week, I seem to have lost my words, hence the non-title of this post.

On Monday, I had 20 minutes to have a cuppa before a meeting in Somerset House. I sat on the terrace and had to sketch my view of the London Eye.

On Wednesday, I had to go to Maldon and with a spare half hour started to sketch an amazing garden-covered barge.

I didn't have time to add colour, so I did it at home later.

Thursday I was stuck in the hairdresser's for ages, so grabbed my A6 Laloran sketchbook.

I'm a bit concerned as I don't recognise that old lady in the mirror.

Hair colour 2015. Pencil

I sketched myself in the same position in 2010. I remember that I didn't wear my glasses and had to squint at the book.

Hair colour 2010. Ink in A6 moleskin.

Then yesterday, I joined the Essex & Suffolk Sketchers at Henny fete, where I visited a local garden, which happened to be serving cream teas. Using a Daler A5 sketchbook, I sketched it to justify eating it despite my ever expanding waistline.

Cream tea in watercolours.

Finally, I did a very quick sketch trying to capture a feeling of the quintessential English fete, whilst my assistant dug herself a hole.

As it was so colourful, I used a rainbow pencil by Lyra in my A5 Daler sketchbook.

My assistant checks my perspective.

Henny fete.

So that was my sketching week. Now if I could only think of a title...

May brings the Everyday in May challenge and yet again I participated. The first time I tied this challenge was in 2010, and you can see the results spread over the May posts here. I then participated again in 2013 and 2014, and you can the see the results by clicking the EDiM tag in the side panel here.

In 2010, I was living in Sudan and finished 30/31 but the peaceful life I led there helped. This year I finished just 22/31. Why? I found some prompts very uninspiring and some I just didn't get time for due to attending a print course, sketching events, my mother's health, and Degas. Furthermore, I have learnt that I still don't put my art before everything else and I do not have the self discipline to sketch daily (especially when uninspired). Right now, as I type this post, I have 2 illustrations that need finishing, so I shall write no more and let a selection of the drawings speak for themselves.

Please let me know which are your favourites. If you participated, why not leave a link to your posts, so I can check them out.

On the 5th October, I heard about a drawing challenge called Inktober. It was created in 2009 by Jake Parker, the Inktober drawing challenge is to do one ink drawing a day the entire month of October. More info here: inktober.com

As I'm struggling with creativity and motivation, I thought I would participate. Here are a selection of the ink drawings I did.

It's May 31st and the end of another Everyday in May daily challenge. I've completed 26 out of the 31 prompts. I've struggled with some especially as I've wanted to do locational drawings for some of them, but the daytime temperatures here have soared to a massive 50°C (122°F).

Day 19, above, is one of my favourites. It is incomplete as I had almost finished this old, unloved, rope tug, when Degas decided it was the ONLY toy she had to play with. Here is Degas chewing HER rope.This Chinese cloisonné vase came from a weekend in Beijing. The prompt was something bought on a trip, but I didn't actually buy it, as it was a gift at the factory we visited on the way to The Great Wall by a lovely American lady, who said I couldn't leave without it.

Finally, this is day 29's something in my favourite colour. It is easy to guess my favourite colour just by looking at the work over this month. This blue glass is part of a set I received as a secret santa present and is filled with blue & white sea glass collected from the beach near my house. I had fun with this using Inktense pencils and watercolour.Which of my challenge results do you like the best? Why not leave a comment below to tell me?

Some of my friends not only sketch daily, but produce numerous sketches at a sitting. I'm not like that. I find a hundred things to keep me and my sketchbook apart, from the numerous daily walks with Degas, to social media, checking blogs, tv, reading... blah blah blah. If I do sketch, then scanning is another issue. However, like this morning, when I do scan I don't always like the results and so snap a photo, as I have with the two watercolours. I have found that when my laptop is already in my studio then scanning is easier - so there's my excuse to buy a tablet and leave it there. Now, how to schedule more sketching time??? I've signed up for the Urban Sketchers' Symposium in August, so there's a start. If you are interested in the USk symposium the details are here.

A5 sketchbook. ink & watercolour

First up in my sketchbook was last Saturday's sketch. Whilst waiting for my friend to arrive, so we could visit the Royal Academy's Sensing Spaces exhibition, I sketched the people enjoying the spring sunshine.Next, having not seen daffodils for many years (I don't count those in florists) and inspired by Jean Haines' watercolours, I decide to paint some I picked from mum & dad's garden.

Watercolour with no predrawing

Lastly, I sketched the fluffy bone I gave Degas as her present for being good whilst I was away. I gave it to her yesterday, so she unstuffed and desqueeked one end, then I drew it.*****How often do you sketch? Why not tell me here.

In January, I read that Jana of JanasJournal had rescued a 5 month old pup. Since then she's been posting regularly on the things Millie chews, both allowed and not, and I have been sharing Degas stories in my comments. The other day she wrote "(it) would definitely be fun to see Degas’ finds, destructed bits and favorite chews as sketched by you".

So last night, I started to sketch Degas' purple Teddy. She has several as I bought them cheaply in the local supermarket. She always chews off the eyes and noses before either eating an ear or leg. Unfortunately, Degas came and took it away before I finished and had a quick chew at it, which is when I took this photo (I think the flash was on, so bleached it). Later, I went into the incomplete sketch with a waterbrush (top). More use of inktense pencils, but I'm not sure about this Stillman & Birn sketchbook. I have been hearing and seeing many rave reviews of it, but the grain surprised me yesterday. I am used to sketching on smooth surfaces. Obviously as this is only page 2 of 124, I will have many times to either get used to it and/or find a way to work on this surface. Previous drawn chewed items include Degas' blue teddy from the December post Catch up: A month of sketches.

This box is from the September post Boxes Beware.﻿Whereas this final image, below, is of a chewed teabag drawn for EDiM and was in the post Snow in Oman(check out the post for why there was snow.)

Degas favourite things to chew are the plants in the garden. I haven't drawn any as I usually just evict them from the house, where Degas has brought them in through her dogflap.

Degas came into my life on April 1st 2013. The year has been fraught at times as she has grown large (and is still growing) and is both boisterous and wilful. I have replaced all my bedding as it's got holed through chewing. Degas continues to steal clothing: last night alone she has chewed through the straps of a T-shirt and has been chased this morning for a dropped item of laundry (although these events are rarer now). Despite training, she chooses when to return to me on walks and tows me down the beach to see her friends. However, for every little negative she has enriched my life a hundredfold. I return from work to big greetings and cuddles, and regardless of my day all problems are forgotten as we step onto the beach. I may find it hard to work on my drawings as she gets bored and demands attention, but she is also inspiration for sketches from these chewed things to her beautiful face. I have watched her grow from a timid pup on the street, into a beautiful young dog who likes nothing better than running down the beach. I am truly blessed she chose to come home with me.

Of another sketchbook.Unusually, I've been using a lot of coloured pencils recently. Maybe because they give me the flexibility of graphite but without the option to rub out errors, as with ink.Next, I am moving out of my normal comfort zone and not starting another Daler Ebony A5, but the A5 Stillman & Birn I got given at last year's Urban Sketchers' Symposium. I'll let you know how I get on.

What do you do when you find potentially poisonous funghi in the garden?Carefully pull them up, then paint them of course.Thank you Alex for identifying them as Leucocoprinus birnbaumii: non-poisonous to pets or children unless eaten :?*****

Whilst I have managed to do some sketching in the run up to my exhibition, I failed to find the time to scan anything. Consequently, I'm writing this long post to catch up on sharing them. They are all from my A5 sketchbook and I seem to be using my Inktense coloured pencils a lot.

Back on the 13th November, The RAF Red Arrows came to Muscat, and I had an invitation to view their display from the Hotel Intercontinental. I took the afternoon off work, and arrived early to avoid the traffic and by coincidence had time to "draw" a cheesecake in their Majlis café, of course I ate it too. The sketch doesn't do it justice - It was yummy. In the gardens, I sketched some of the spectators prior to the display, which was awesome. I've seen them several times over the years and this display was possibly the best. I added colour (& the planes) later in order to add context for the groups of people.

Red Arrows. Pen & coloured pencil 13/11/13

Inktense pencils 22 Nov.

22nd saw me drawing socks, which I'd put on due to the heavy rains and drop in temperature. Degas thinks socks are the funniest things and always tries to either remove them and/or chew them whilst they are on my feet.I am a huge Dr Who fan, so the following day saw me streaming the BBC's 50th Anniversary edition. I had intended to sketch during the programme and drew my laptop/tv connected through the HDMI, doodled some logos before the start and then... got engrossed in the story. Below is the incomplete sketch, again in Inktense pencil and here is a previous Dr Who sketch from March 2012.

Two days later, I had a whole day of presentations to sit through with the day job. I took my sketchbook and pencils and proceeded to sketch throughout the day. Here are some of the pages I did complete with my notes.

Degas's shell. Pencil

On the 11th December, being 11.12.13 for us with UK date system, I had to draw soemthing. I looked around and saw this shell, which Degas had left in the lounge. Finally, the bear at the top of this post was sketched on the 17th. Degas loves soft toys, especially destuffing them. The bear caught my eye when she left it face down, so I had to draw it. If you want to see beautiful bear paintings, please check out my friend Sandra Busby's amazing paintings here: sketch-mad.com.